Mechanism for rendering vehicle headlights dirigible



Nov. 22, 1927K H. J. DODDS I mscmmxsu FOR msnmanme VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS DIRIGIBLE Filed Aug. 12. 1926 ara v INVENTQR. Homz-e J. 00005 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 22, 1927. V i I i v HOMER J; nonns, or Pas-13m; QALH'ORNIA. I Y

. KEGEANISJI Eon nmnnme vnnlcnnzmnmen'rs nmemm.wf 1

mass me August 12, 18%.sSeria1jIo .-:12 8,887.

hly invention relates" to dirig ible head lights for motor vehicles, and: a purpose of my inventionuis thep'revision of a s mple, inexpensive and: durable mechanism ca able of being readily attached to, any 0 the present forms .ofi motor vehicles: without in I any way modiiying'the construction oii the vehicles, and when-appliedsucccssiully operating to move the headlights; in" accordance with the movement of; the front wheels of the vehicle.-

I will describe only one-,cformjoimech-c anisna for rendering headlights otcmoto'r vehicles dirig-i-ble embodying vmy invention, and/will then point out the novel features" thereof in claims. I

In thedrawings C Figure 1 is a viewshowing. in front eleva-. tion a conventional formfof motor. vehicle having applied thereto' one form of mechanism embodying my invention; 7

Figure 2 is a view showing the mechanism in side elevation and'in applied position to a motor vehicle;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sec:

tional view of that part of the mechanism for supporting the left hand headlight; I

Referring specifically to the drawings, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each ofuthe views, my invention in its present embodiment comprises a pair of supports by which a pair of headlights L and L are mounted for rotational movement in either direction, and as the construction of these two supports is identical a description of one will suflice for both. As illustrated to advantage in Fig- .ure 3, the support for the headlight L comprises a cup shaped casing 15 in the upper end of which is vrotatably fitted a head 16 recessed and interiorly threaded to receive a reduced extension 17 of a bracket 18 upon which the lamp L is secured. The head 16 is rotatably supported within the casing 15 by a thrust bearing 19 and the latter in turn is supported in elevated position within the casing by an annular flange 20 formed interiorly of the casing. A stub shaft 21 is fixed to the lower end of the head 16, and keyed to the stub shaft is a miter pinion 22 which constantly meshes with a similar pinion 23 fixed to a shaft 24 rotatable in the casing 15 and extending completely therethrough. As shown in Figure 1, the other end of the shaft 24 extends into the casing 15 of the support for the lamp L and is here mesheswith the pinion "22 in the same; man'- ner as thepinions for the support just described. It w n, thus; seen that thesha ft.

24 provides an operative connection between the supports for the lamps L and L 4 and through the several pinions rotation bf'th e' shaft; ,24 causes .rotationof the lamps L and Lf in one direction. or thev other,.depend-,

ing, upon thedirection a; rotation ,of' the I nsjsho n'ininigfiie 1 ad: 2,. the cas ngs 15 are recessed at corresponding points Lon; their frontisides macbmm date the-usual am o t n rod a d ampi g a s 26am bolted-to the casings 15 ztofirmly s'ep V cure the casings to thesupportingrod Tofacilitate; assembling, thexshaft24ismade in two sections as illustrated in; 1,7 with v v 7- 5 the, c hn renting ends 2 ofthe, con 7 nected by a sleeve 27 having set screws 28 for locking the ends of the shaftsections within the sleeve and thereby operatively connecting the two sections.

As shown in'Figure 3, one end of the shaft 24 projects from the corresponding casing 15 and has securedtheretothe upper end of an arm 29,' the lower end of the arm being pivotally connected to a rod 30 which: extends rearwardly beneath the adjacent fender and above the frame of the vehicle for pivotal connection at its rear end to the upper end of an arm 31. This arm 31 is applied to theusual' stub shaft 32 of a conventional steering mechanism, and the arm is secured to the stub shaft by means of the usual'nut 33 threaded on the end of the stub shaft. However, to prevent accidental independent movement of the arm 31'in-respect to the stub shaft, the arm is provided with avpair of spaced flanges 34 which engage the opposite edges of the usual steering arm 35, and as the arm is locked to the stub shaft it will be clear that the arm aids in insuring movementof the arm 31 with the'stub shaft. In this'manner'the shaft 24 is operatively' connected to the steerin mechanism so as to be actuated thereby an to be rotated in one direction or the other, depending u on the direction of rotation of the stub .sha t. I

' In practice, rotation of the shaft 24 effects rotation of the brackets 18 through the medium of the miter pinions 22 and 23, thereby rotating the lamps L and L? simultaneously and in one direction or the other in accord-' ance with the steering movements, of the front wheels of the vehicle, whereby the lamps are automatically caused to define the ing from the'spirit of the invention, and the of the' .claims hereto ap spirit and scope pended. I I claim:

1. A 'mechanism headlights dirigible, comprising a pair of supports for the headlights of a vehicle,each support including a casing, a head rotatable in the casing and fixed to the supporting bracket for the lamp, a shaft extending into both of the casings and having gearconnections with said heads to rotate the heads,

means by which the casings areadapted to be secured to the lamp supporting rod of the vehicle, an arm fixed to the shaft, a second arm adapted to be fixed to the stub shaft of the steering mechanism so as to be rofor rendering vehicle tated thereby, and a connecting rod between the two arms for transmitting the rotative lIlOVGlIlGllt'Of the stub shaft to said shaft, said second armhaving flanges adapted to engage the steering arm of the steering mech- .anism to insure rotation of the second armwith the stub shaft.

r 2. A. mechanism for rendering vehicle headlights dirigible, comprising a pair of supports for the headlights of a vehicle, each support including a cup shaped casing adapted to be secured to the headlight supporting rod and having an annular fiange-interiorly thereof intermediate "its ends, a head to whichthe headlight is adapted to be secured rotatably'mounted in saidcasing upon said" flange and having its lower end extending below said flange and reducedto provide a stub shaft, an operating shaft extending into both of said casings below said flanges and having gear connectionswith said stubshafts to rotate said heads, and 'means secured to said operating shaft and adapted for operative connection with the steering mechanism I of the vehicle by which the heads are caused to be simultaneously rotated in accordance with the steering movements of the steering mechanism.

Ho na J. onne. 

